


Heavy

by alleinimmer



Series: How Did We Get Here? [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Endgame never happened, Fluff and Angst, Infinity War never happened, Not exactly Rogue Avengers friendly, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Steve Rogers briefly mentioned, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, lots of swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 18:37:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20765078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alleinimmer/pseuds/alleinimmer
Summary: Peter comes by the Avengers Tower to train with Steve. Tony is in over his head.





	Heavy

**Author's Note:**

> So, of everything I've written so far, I hate this one the most. I have no idea why this was so hard to write, but I think this is about as good as it's gonna get. Hopefully someone out there enjoys it!
> 
> Takes place the day after the events of "Smoke and Mirrors"

Fury had given Tony strict orders not to interfere in any way with Cap's initial assessment of Peter. He had also made it abundantly clear that he was to have absolutely no involvement with any of their future training sessions together either.

"No bullshit." he'd said, glaring at Tony and looking thoroughly unfazed when, a moment later, Tony blasted a hole through a 6 inch thick sheet of stainless steel just a few feet away. "If there's one thing I can't trust you with, it's that. Rogers needs to know exactly what this kid is capable of. What his limits are. And he can't do that if you won't let him."

"Hey, if Captain Dickwad needs to bark orders at a fifteen-year-old just to feel important, I won’t stop him." Tony said, refusing to look at Fury as he adjusted his repulsor settings. "As long as he doesn't get a hard-on when he does. I mean, we all know how much he loves being in charge, but let's not to completely traumatize the poor kid. Therapy’s expensive enough as it is, and I’d hate to lose such an invaluable asset to the team-.”

“Tony, shut your damn mouth." Fury snapped. "Don’t think for one second that you're off the hook with me - I still haven't forgotten that it’s because of you that we’re even in this mess.” 

“And what mess is that, exactly?” Tony asked, taking aim again. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“You knew the identity of an enhanced individual!” Fury all but shouted. “A MINOR enhanced individual! And rather than reporting it to us, you went behind my back and recruited the punk ass brat in your little pissing match against Rogers!” 

“Yeah, but on the bright side, SHIELD is now in possession of one of the most powerful weapons the world has ever seen. One that exists outside the approval of the UN and one you have complete control over. And it’s all thanks to me, soooo...you’re welcome.”

“And that right there is precisely why I can't let you interfere with this - you're too attached.”

“I'm not-”

"Oh don't even start. You’re not fooling anyone, Stark. Except maybe the kid."

Tony didn't answer him. Just vaporized another sheet of metal and pretended he couldn’t see Fury glowering at him from the corner of his eye.

“I mean it, Stark. I’ve got my eye on you. And if I find out you sabotaged this in any way, your ass is-”

Blah, blah, blah, something, something, something. He’d stopped listening after that. 

And now here he was, two weeks later, fingers drumming restlessly against his workbench, and far too distracted to focus on, much less do, anything else. He had planned on spending the afternoon updating his suit while Steve played drill sergeant with his kid, but he had yet to do a single goddamn thing to it. Every time he tried, he found his thoughts spinning uncontrollably elsewhere, and eventually he had just given up - it was pretty obvious that there was no way he was getting anything done today. At least, not until Cap had finished his evaluation and released Peter back to him. And who knew how long that would be - they had been at it for hours already with no signs of stopping any time soon. Tony ran his hands through his hair, slowly releasing the breath he had been holding. It was gonna be a long day…

\-----------------

By the time FRIDAY informed him that Steve had dismissed Peter for the day, the vague, uneasy feeling that had been buzzing through Tony’s veins had reached a damn near unbearable level, and hearing FRIDAY assure him that Peter was fine just simply wasn’t enough - he had to see it for himself. It was only when he first glimpsed the back of Peter’s head poking up over the common room couch that the tightness in his chest finally loosened, and for the first time that day, Tony felt he could breathe easy. 

“Hey, Squirt.” He called cheerfully as he strolled further into the room. “How was superhero camp? Do you feel woefully inadequate yet? Don’t worry, you’ll get there...kid?” He asked after a moment of silence passed. “Everything alright?”

But Peter didn’t answer him. In fact he didn’t react at all. 

“Pete?” He tried again, edging closer for a better look at him. 

Peter was sitting sprawled out on the couch, wearing Tony’s MIT sweatshirt and his infamous Hello Kitty sweatpants, with a dazed, exhausted look on his face, hair dripping wet and skin flushed pink, clearly fresh from the shower. He blinked sluggishly, staring straight ahead, and just when Tony was starting to get worried, he suddenly spoke up.

“I don’t get to go to Disneyland.” Peter mumbled, sounding even more out of it than he looked.

“...What?”

“You said you’d take me to Disneyland if I knocked Cap down.” Peter reminded him. It took Tony a second to realize what he was talking about. 

“Oh yeah. Hey, listen, kid. If you could do me a massive favor and not repeat that, that would be stupendous. I’ve got enough of a bad rap as it is without people thinking I bribe kids to beat up World War II vets-”

“I suck.”

“Excuse me?”

“I suck.” Peter repeated tonelessly. “Bad.”

“Pete, come on. You hardly suck.”

“He annihilated me.” Peter muttered, dropping his head and playing with one of the loose threads of his sweatshirt. “I thought I did so good at the airport. But I didn’t even hit him once!”

“Yeah, kid, I told you he was holding back.” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “Jesus, relax, it’s not like anyone actually expects that much from you.”

Tony regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. Yeah, that had sounded way better in his head. Way more encouraging. Peter winced, rolling over and burying his face in one of the pillows with a groan.

“Okay, that came out wrong.” Tony admitted, cringing. “Look, Peter, do you really think I would have recruited you if I thought you were anything less than incredible? Do you have any idea how hard it was figuring out who you were? How much time and effort it took? How disgusting your aunt’s walnut date bread was?!”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Peter’s voice was muffled against the pillow. 

“It really was. And that’s not the point - the point is, kid, don’t beat yourself up. We all know that you can hold your own in a fight. Fury just wants to be sure you’re ready for the big leagues.”  
Peter didn’t answer him.

“Hey, why don’t we head up to my lab?” Tony suggested, reaching for something, anything, to cheer the kid up. “I could use your help updating my suit. I’ll even give you back your blowtorch privileges - I think you’ve earned it.”

Peter seemed to hesitate for a moment, then very slowly peeked up at him, the downright miserable look etched across his face slowly morphing into uncertainty. “Oh. Um…”

“What? You got something better to do? Someone cooler to hang out with? Oh God, please don’t tell me Spangles convinced you to go dark side.”

“No, it’s not that.” Peter assured him quickly, ears flushing crimson as he fidgeted nervously. “It’s not that I don’t wanna help you, or that I don’t wanna hang out with you-not that working in the lab is hanging out, or anything! I know we’re doing serious work up there-I love working in the lab with you! It’s just that...I’m really tired, Mr. Stark.” He confessed in a rush. “I kinda just wanna take the night off.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Tony assured him with a shrug. “It’s fine, buddy. We can hang out right here if that’s what you want.”

“You don’t have to sit with me if you’ve got more important things to do-” Peter began, looking away. 

“Okay, let’s get something straight here, Pete.” Tony said, lowering himself down on the couch beside him. “I never do anything I don’t want to do. It’s one of the perks of being a billionaire superhero.”

“Are you sure-.”

“You know what else is a perk of being a billionaire superhero? Having every movie ever made and every streaming service that’s available. You want it, I got it. Here, kid, I’ll even let you decide, since I’m just so goddamn nice.”

“I don’t care, Mr. Stark.” Peter yawned. “You pick.”

“Big mistake, kid.” Tony said, grinning wickedly. “Just remember, I offered to let you choose. Hey, FRIDAY? Be a doll and play ‘Back to the Future’ would you?”   
Peter groaned as the TV flickered to life. 

“What? Come on, Underoos, it’s a classic!”

“Yeah, only cause it’s so old!” 

“I’m sorry, did you seriously just say ‘Back To the Future’ is old?!”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like it came out in the ‘70’s or anything.” Peter said teasingly. “Now THAT’S old!”

“Watch it, punk ass.” Tony growled over Peter’s chuckles. “You keep running your mouth like that and I might just have to add a few new baby-proofing protocols to your suit.” 

\-----------------

Peter was uncharacteristically quiet for the duration of the movie. At first, Tony had tried getting the kid to talk, offering his opinion about time travel and the physics behind it, and teasing him when he could, but Peter would only grunt or hum in response, and eventually, Tony took the hint and left him alone. It wasn’t until the credits started rolling that Tony finally turned back to him.

“Alright, kid, admit it. It’s a good-” He trailed off, surprised to see Peter fast asleep beside him, mouth open and drooling on the cushion. He snorted.

“Hey. Sleeping Beauty. Wake up.”

Peter didn’t move.

"Hey. Come on." Tony said, reaching over and gently shaking Peter's shoulder. "Up and at 'em."

Peter merely whined and rolled onto his side, curling around the stack of pillows surrounding him.

“Peter.” Tony tried again, a little more loudly. “Wake up.”

Peter didn’t react in the slightest. 

Groaning, Tony pushed himself to his feet. He looked down at Peter, curled on his side, mouth slightly open and breathing deep and easy. Tony scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I know you can hear me, kid.” Tony told him. “Much as you pretend otherwise. Super hearing and whatnot, remember? You’ve got no excuses.”

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

“You’re going to destroy your neck.” He tried. “You’ll regret it in the morning, trust me.”

Peter remained unmoved.

“Come on, kid.” Tony pleaded, reaching out and gently shaking him again. “Just go to bed.”

Peter only snuggled deeper into his little pillow nest, sighing sleepily as he did. Tony glared at him.

"I'm not carrying you." He declared firmly, glaring down at Peter, who didn't react at all. "No way in hell am I throwing out my back for you, kid. I don’t like you that much. So either wake up already or be prepared to spend the night here. And fair warning, if Clint or Sam sees you, they will prank you."

The only response he got was a soft, fluttery snore.

"I mean it." Tony tried, starting to feel a little desperate. "They’ll draw dicks on your face. And put your fingers in warm water. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Boss, from what data I'm able to collect, I believe that Peter has entered Stage 3 Sleep." FRIDAY supplied suddenly, sounding exasperated. 

"Am I supposed to just know what that means?"

"He can't hear you."

"Well, how's that any different from when he's awake?" Tony muttered. FRIDAY didn't have an answer for him, and Tony sighed.

"Fine." He growled quietly, rolling his eyes. "But just this once. And if anyone asks, I'm gonna deny it." 

Tony hesitated for a moment longer, not quite sure what to do, and then slowly, carefully, snaked one arm under Peter's knees and the other behind his shoulders, easing him into the crooks of his elbows. Gritting his teeth and already regretting the backache he was sure to have tomorrow, Tony lifted the boy into his arms...

....and almost sent the kid flying. 

"Whoa!" Tony breathed, stumbling slightly, his balance completely thrown, and reflexively clutching Peter against his chest. Peter mumbled something in his sleep, frowning slightly, but soon quieted, leaving Tony standing open-mouthed in the middle of the common room. 

“Okay.” He muttered slowly, forcing himself to stay calm despite the fact that his every instinct urging him to freak out. “That’s odd.” 

The kid weighed practically nothing - he may as well have been holding a small child instead of a nearly grown teenager with superstrength. For a second, Tony could only stand there, struggling to comprehend the discrepancy between what he knew Peter should weigh and what he actually did. 

There had to be something wrong with him. This couldn’t possibly be normal...right? Although, for all he knew, maybe it was. Peter wasn’t exactly ‘normal’ by anyone’s standards, after all, and Tony knew very little about both Peter’s mutation and the full extent of his abilities, apart from what he was able to directly observe for himself. Maybe this was something he actually needed to look into, if only to make sure Peter really was okay...And then after a few minutes of internal debate, Tony shrugged to himself.

“You know what, Squirt? Fuck it. It’s late. And this really isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve seen you do. We’ll save the poking and prodding for another time.” Tony said, lifting him a little higher, holding him a little tighter. “Don’t you even think about sticking to me, you little shit. You’re enough of a pain without your freaky little death grip.”

Peter didn’t answer him, just buried his face in Tony's shoulder, and Tony rolled his eyes again before turning around and carrying him down the hall and to the bedroom he had given Peter all those months ago. 

"You know, I have a reputation to uphold." Tony told him as he nudged the door open with his foot. "And you're completely destroying it."

Peter remained thoroughly unconcerned with Tony’s problems as he carried him past the Star Wars posters and LEGO Quinjet model he had finished last week, and over to the bed. He carefully eased Peter down, and the moment Tony laid him on the bed, Peter rolled over in his sleep, breathing still deep and even. Tony quickly grabbed the covers that were trailing along the floor, and pulled them up and over the kid. He waited for a second, but when Peter didn’t stir, he reached out and gently brushed a stray curl away.

“Night, bud.” He whispered. “Try not to be too hard on yourself, okay? You’re doing fine. And one day soon, you’re gonna be the best of us. Cause for what it’s worth, I don’t think any one of us has anything on you, kid.”

Peter didn’t answer. But then again, if Tony thought he would, or even that he could hear him, he never would have said it in the first place.

**Author's Note:**

> Super short. But hopefully cute and sweet right? Cause I intend to make the next couple ones hurt...
> 
> As always, please tell me what you think or if you have any suggestions for me!


End file.
